Online Dating Meets Social Networking at Coffee Meets Bagel
The idea of joining an online dating site can often be intimidating, not to mention the creepiness factor. But now, San Francisco-based Coffee Meets Bagel hopes to allay those fears.
Started by three sisters, Dawoon, Arum and Soo Kang, Coffee Meets Bagel launched last April in New York. Tired of the hassle and confusion of other online dating websites, the three sisters wanted to improve the experience of those looking for love online.
“Coffee Meets Bagel matches people up based on their social network. Users sign up through Facebook and fill out a profile,” Dawoon said. “Everyday at noon, they are sent one match, which expires in 24 hours. They can either like or pass on the match, which in most cases, will share at least one Facebook friend with you.”
The sisters said that it is their belief that users are more likely to find “the right match” with someone who is a friend of a friend, rather than the randomness of some other sites. They said it also puts people more at ease; they know that their match is a friend or acquaintance of someone in their own social network, making the situation more appealing.
The website is not just about finding matches – it is a complete social experience. Along with the Like and Pass options, users can also click the Give button, which offers them a chance to send a match on to a friend.
Along with the three cities (New York, Boston and San Francisco) where Coffee Meets Bagel operates, they are planning more events for matches. They just held their first Bagels Night Out event in San Francisco, where 6 guys and 6 girls came together to cook a three course meal. The Kangs are hoping to do monthly events in the future.
As for the name Coffee Meets Bagels? “By delivering a Bagel (match) each day, we wanted to create something that people looked forward to everyday at noon. We thought, ‘What is the one thing that people look forward to everyday?’ Most of our members are young, working professionals and so the answer was Coffee Break,” Dawoon explained. “So we chose Coffee and of all things that go well with Coffee, we chose Bagels, because we launched in New York – hence Coffee Meets Bagel.”
Signing up for the website is free, another aspect the sisters were looking to change, as the price of other dating websites can be a hindrance. And the sisters said they have their first true love match – with a couple recently engaged who met on Coffee Meets Bagel.
